Round 11 Review – League Two Men’s
Round 11 of the 2025 Football NSW League Two Men’s season saw plenty more big results near the top, while some teams returned to form or suffered big defeats as the competition remained unpredictable.
The Match of the Round this week saw Granville Rage welcome back Garside Park in a big way after they came from behind to grab the three points against Sydney University SFC.
Saturday, 19th April 2025
Match of the Round: Granville Rage 3-1 Sydney University SFC
Granville Rage had a happy homecoming back at Garside Park for the first time in six years after they came from behind to grab a 3-1 win over Sydney University SFC.
University stunned the Rage and grabbed the early lead in the 8th minute when a corner delivered into the box saw the ball cleared out wide and then re-delivered into the box to University’s Aiden Hardiman; he sized up his options and squared the ball to Caelan Hinckson in the middle of the box, who got in-between the Rage defenders and slotted the ball home from six yards to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.
The Rage fired back with the next chances in the match, with a shot from Anthony Gallo blocked well and a header from a corner saved well by University goalkeeper, Jasper Sarkies.
Granville restored parity in the 26th minute when a corner delivered in was also cleared out wide left by University; the ball from the Rage was delivered back into the box and found the head of Jad Moussa at the back post, who headed the ball into the bottom-right corner to level the contest at 1-1.
Following a quiet period in the match, Moussa earned his side a corner in the 44th minute after he had a shot down the right deflected wide and that corner paid dividends.
In the 45th minute, the corner delivered into the box from the right, Welkson Souza Bispo rose highest and headed the ball home to give the hosts the lead for the first time in the match, 2-1 up at half-time following a half where they had eight shots to four.
In a show of the nature of the match, the first shot off target in the contest came in the 50th minute when a shot went wide off a delivery from a free kick for the Rage.
Granville made the most of their chances and grabbed a 3-1 lead in the 53rd minute when Timothy Borg-Williams got on the end of a ball along the ground and composed himself in front of goal before he slotted the ball home from inside the box for his eighth goal of the season.
Four minutes later, a goal mouth scramble saw the Rage keep University out despite multiple attempts in quick succession for the visitors as the hosts looked to preserve their two-goal lead.
In the 62nd minute, a strong save from Sarkies denied the Rage a fourth goal while six minutes later at the other end, Rage goalkeeper Samuel Bortolazzo saved a University free-kick down low to his left before the follow-up attempt from the students went over the goal.
The two teams had a few more chances each for the remainder of the match but the biggest chance came in the second minute of stoppage time when Borg-Williams got on the end of a deflection on the edge of the box and fired a first-time shot on goal with pace, which was deflected over the goal by Sarkies with strong reflexes.
Following a match where Granville had 17 shots to University’s 14, the Rage came from behind to welcome in a new era at Garside Park with a strong 3-1 win.
Speaking post-match, Granville Rage assistant coach Daniel Bortolazzo was happy to be back at Garside for the first time since 2019 and to welcome their side back to their spiritual home with a win.
“Every club needs a home, needs a base and it is good for our youth, right through to our first grade to have somewhere to be and play out of.”
Bortolazzo spoke about how his side wanted to make sure they got off on the right foot back at Garside Park.
“It is good to get the win and hopefully Garside becomes the fortress that it once was for us.”
Bortolazzo was pleased not only with the win but also his side’s performance back at Garside.
“The points was the main thing but obviously, as well, just putting in a solid performance… there has been a lot of people behind the scenes who have helped us get back here, the club has been pushing very hard to get back here… to keep your head above water for six years and then come back and get the three points, it is a good feeling.”
The win for the Rage was their first in four matches as they stayed 5th on the ladder, while the loss for University saw them remain winless for the season in last place.
Granville will hope to grab back-to-back wins when they travel to face 10th-placed Dunbar Rovers FC next week, while University will hope to grab their first win of the season when they host 6th-placed South Coast Flame FC.
The Rage also progressed to the fifth preliminary round of the Australia Cup after a 4-1 away win over Eastern Suburbs Football Association side Phoenix FC, with two goals to Yuto Shinagawa and a goal each to Welkson Souza Bispo and Mitchell Whalley giving them the win.
Granville are back in Australia Cup action mid-week when they host Macarthur Football Association side Gunners at Garside Park on Wednesday, 23rd April at 7:30pm in the fifth preliminary round.
Granville Rage 3 (Jad Moussa 26’; Welkson Souza Bispo 45’; Timothy Borg-Williams 53’)
Sydney University SFC 1 (Caelan Hinckson 8’)
Thursday, 17th April 2025
Hawkesbury City FC 6-2 Fraser Park FC
A Harry Drew hat-trick led Hawkesbury City FC to a fourth-straight head-to-head match unbeaten against ten-man Fraser Park FC in a big 6-2 home win.
The Hawks hit the crossbar and had a double save from Fraser Park goalkeeper Amaro Ferreira deny chances to Harry Drew and Stuart Gosling early.
In the 17th minute, however, the Hawks opened the scoring when Harry Drew got on the end of a Zane Hickman cross and scored to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.
Fraser Park searched for a first-half equaliser but dangerous crosses into the box were unable to be met by an attacker.
In the second half, Fraser Park levelled the match at 1-1 when Matthew Lecce played Benjamin Astudillo in behind with a through ball in the 53rd minute, the latter making no mistake with the finish.
The Hawks responded quickly through Drew, who scored four minutes later to give the Hawks the lead back at 2-1.
Vincent Dermilio extended the Hawks’ lead to two goals in the 66th minute when he cut in from the left and curled the ball home from the edge of the box to put the hosts in a commanding position.
Fraser Park were reduced to ten men when Francis Mcalpine was shown a red card for violent conduct, which opened the match up further for Hawkesbury.
Hawkesbury added a fourth goal in the 76th minute through Marcus Dimitri, before Drew completed his hat-trick in the 82nd minute for his 12th goal of the season as he moved to the top of the Golden Boot standings outright.
Fraser Park had a penalty saved before they scored a consolation goal in the 82nd minute through substitute Fenn Hodgson-Yu, before Hawkesbury rounded out the 6-2 win in the fifth minute of stoppage time when substitute Archie Drewett found the back of the net.
The win for the Hawks moved them up into 3rd on the ladder as their strong run of form continued, while the loss for Fraser Park ended their three-match winning streak as they stayed in 8th.
Hawkesbury will hope to continue their strong form when they travel to face 14th-placed Central Coast United FC next week, while Fraser Park will hope to respond when they host 4th-placed Parramatta FC.
Hawkesbury City FC 6 (Harry Drew 17’, 57’, 82’; Vincent Dermilio 66’; Marcus Dimitri 76’; Archie Drewett 90+5’)
Fraser Park FC 2 (Benjamin Astudillo 53’; Fenn Hodgson-Yu 87’; Francis Mcalpine 65’ red card)
Saturday, 19th April 2025
South Coast Flame FC 6-1 Camden Tigers FC
A hat-trick to Jyden Harb led South Coast Flame FC to a big 6-1 home win over Camden Tigers FC in a hot early kick-off.
The match lit up early when Flame goalkeeper Nenad Vekic was forced into a save off strong build-up play from Camden’s Bailey Simpson and Aiden Quigley inside ninety seconds.
The Flame took a 1-0 lead in the 4th minute when Jyden Harb worked his way through the Camden defence and found the back of the net with a left-footed strike from just inside the box.
Adam Timpano-Voloder had a chance for the Flame saved five minutes later by Camden goalkeeper Michael O’Rourke, before at the other end Quigley had a shot go just wide for the Tigers.
In the 20th minute, Harb had his second goal of the match when he got on the end of a Daniel Merola cross after he had broken down the right, Harb finishing the move off for a 2-0 Flame lead at half-time.
The hot conditions continued and eight minutes after the restart, the Flame had a third goal when a Flame corner was not cleared by Camden, with Harrison James getting on the end of the ball and volleying home to help the hosts to a 3-0 lead.
Camden had a few chances saved midway through the half, with Simpson’s effort hitting the crossbar and substitute Avisai Vunisasaro forcing Vekic into a strong save.
The Flame added a fourth goal in the 82nd minute when Adam Timpano-Voloder broke through the Camden defence and slotted the ball home for a 4-0 lead.
Three minutes later, Matthew Mazevski found Harb with a precise pass; the latter cut inside and curled the ball home to give the Flame their fifth and to score his hat-trick.
Camden got on the scoreboard in the 86th minute when Vunisasaro chased down a loose ball and cut it back to Andrew Head, who scored to give the visitors a consolation in the match.
South Coast rounded out the 6-1 win in the 89th minute, however, through Kade Kinsella, who slotted the ball home following a goal mouth scramble to give the Flame a big win.
The win for the Flame saw them stay in 6th place on the ladder as they picked up their first win in four matches, while the loss for the Tigers saw them go three matches without a win as they dropped to 13th.
The Flame will hope to build off this win when they travel to face last-placed Sydney University SFC, while Camden have a bye in Round 12.
South Coast Flame FC 6 (Jyden Harb 4’, 20’, 85’; Harrison James 53’; Adam Timpano-Voloder 82’; Kade Kinsella 89’)
Camden Tigers FC 1 (Andrew Head 86’)
Hurstville Zagreb FC 3-0 Bankstown United FC
Hurstville Zagreb FC continued to fire at the top of the league after they picked up their sixth clean sheet from eleven matches so far this season after a strong 3-0 home win over Bankstown United FC.
Hurstville got off to the perfect start in the 11th minute when Jonathan Maras slipped Michael Neill in behind, who volleyed the ball home for his seventh goal of the season to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.
Jesse Gagro looked to cause trouble to the Bankstown defence and was rewarded in the 30th minute when his early cross into the box saw Neill get fouled; Gagro stepped up and converted the penalty to give the hosts a 2-0 lead.
Derek Daly hit the post to end the first half, with Hurstville taking a 2-0 advantage into the break.
After half-time, Hurstville dealt with the Bankstown long ball threat and continued to create chances.
Hurstville substitute James Tsokos came off the bench and scored within six minutes of doing so when he volleyed home a cross at the far post to give Hurstville a 3-0 lead on the hour mark.
Substitutes Nikola Todoroski and Jacob Botic both had chances to add to Hurstville’s three goals but in a match where they had 13 shots to five, Hurstville came away 3-0 winners.
The win for Hurstville saw them maintain their position as the league leaders as they won a seventh-straight match, while the loss for Bankstown saw them stay in 7th as they went a fourth-straight match without a win.
Hurstville also picked up a win mid-week after they held off Parramatta FC 2-1 away from home, with a goal each to Derick Daly and Michael Neill giving them the win.
Bankstown, meanwhile, progressed to the fifth preliminary round of the Australia Cup mid-week after they came from behind to defeat Fairfield Pats FC 3-1 away in extra-time, with two goals to Nathan Manno and one to Sean Robertson.
Hurstville will hope to win an eighth-straight match when they host 12th-placed Inner West Hawks FC in Round 12, while Bankstown will hope to get back to winning ways when they host 9th-placed Nepean FC.
Bankstown are also back in Australia Cup action in the fifth preliminary round when they travel to face Illawarra Premier League side Wollongong Olympic FC at Sir Ian McLennan Oval on Tuesday, 22nd April at 8:15pm.
Hurstville Zagreb FC 3 (Michael Neill 11’; Jesse Gagro 30’ pen; James Tsokos 60’)
Bankstown United FC 0
Parramatta FC 1-2 Prospect United SC
Prospect United SC came from a goal down to grab a big 2-1 away win in this western Sydney derby in a match which was grinded out.
Both sides had their share of chances in the first half, Parramatta with four and Prospect with six, but Parramatta were awarded a penalty in the 39th minute when they had a player brought down in the box; Jordan Gomez stepped up and converted the spot kick to give the Eagles a 1-0 half-time lead.
The match turned around again in the 49th minute when Prospect was awarded a penalty when Anthony Idehen was brought down in the box chasing a long ball; he converted from the spot for his seventh goal of the season to level the match at 1-1.
Praneet Singh completed the Prospect comeback in the 55th minute when he found the top corner with a shot from 25 yards for his sixth goal of the season to give Prospect a 2-1 lead.
Parramatta fought hard to find an equaliser with nine shots in the second half, but Prospect defended hard to see the match out and grab a 2-1 derby win.
The loss for Parramatta was their second in a row as they went a third-straight match without a win and drop to 4th on the ladder, while the victory for Prospect saw them win a fourth match from their past five as they continued to fire in 2nd place.
Parramatta also lost a catch-up match 2-1 at home to Hurstville Zagreb FC mid-week despite a goal to Marco Sama, while Prospect advanced to Round Five of the Australia Cup preliminaries after a Jakob Petterson hat-trick and a goal each to Shaan Birring and Christian Kim gave them a 5-0 away win over Hurstville Glory FC.
Parramatta will hope to snap their winless run when they travel to face 8th-placed Fraser Park FC next week, while Prospect will hope to hunt down another win when they host 11th-placed Gladesville Ryde Magic.
The Eagles are also in Australia Cup action in the fifth preliminary round when they travel to face League One Men’s side Northern Tigers FC at North Turramurra Recreation Area on Tuesday, 22nd April at 6:45pm.
Prospect, meanwhile, travel to face NPL side Marconi Stallions at Marconi Stadium on Tuesday, 22nd April at 7:30pm, in their Australia Cup tie.
Parramatta FC 1 (Jordan Gomez 39’ pen)
Prospect United SC 2 (Anthony Idehen 49’ pen; Praneet Singh 55’)
Nepean FC 3-1 Central Coast United FC
Nepean FC won back-to-back matches for the first time since the opening two rounds of the season after they picked up a 3-1 home win over Central Coast United FC.
With the Nepean squad back to full fitness and players back from injury, Kye Hickman gave Nepean a 1-0 lead in the 30th minute when he found the back of the net.
Central Coast levelled the match at 1-1 two minutes later, however, when an own goal to Luke Cotten off a corner helped the visitors restore parity.
Jack Hoban restored Nepean’s lead in the 38th minute as he scored in back-to-back weeks to give the hosts a 2-1 lead at half-time.
William DiMartino came off the bench and scored within six minutes of doing so when he found the back of the net in the fourth minute of stoppage-time to give Nepean a 3-1 win.
Both sides ended with ten men, however, when an altercation saw Harry McCalmont sent off for Central Coast and Abdullah Alyas shown red for Nepean.
The win for Nepean saw them rise into 9th on the ladder as they won back-to-back matches, while the loss for Central Coast saw them stay in 14th as they went ten matches without a win.
Nepean also picked up a 1-0 home win over Sydney University SFC in a catch-up match mid-week, with an 85th minute goal from Jack Hoban leading them to victory in that match.
Nepean will hope to win a third-straight match when they travel to face 7th-placed Bankstown United FC next week, while Central Coast will hope to end their winless run when they host 3rd-placed Hawkesbury City FC.
Nepean FC 3 (Kye Hickman 30’; Jack Hoban 38’; William DiMartino 90+4’)
Central Coast United FC 1 (Luke Cotten 32’ own goal)
Inner West Hawks FC 1-3 Dunbar Rovers FC
Dunbar Rovers FC put in a strong performance and won their first match in five after a big 3-1 away win over Inner West Hawks FC.
Dunbar opened the scoring in the 23rd minute through Paul Gautier, who got in behind the Hawks’ defence with a strong run and slotted the ball past the onrushing Gene Marantos to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.
The Hawks were forced to make two changes due to injury in the first half, with captain Chrisopher Phillips and Alexander Nicolosi, two senior players, coming off.
The Hawks equalised in the 69th minute when Jeremy Siarakas found the back of the net direct from a free kick to level the match at 1-1 against his old club.
Dunbar responded from a set piece of their own after Dylan-Goran Bozicevic found the back of the net with a strong volley at the near post off a corner to give Dunbar the lead back at 2-1 up.
With the Hawks pushing for a late equaliser, the visitors sealed the win in the second minute of stoppage time when substitute Guilherme Mazurkievicz Pansonato made a one-on-one run against the Hawks’ defence and laid the ball off to Jason Trajkovski, who scored with a tap-in to give Dunbar a big 3-1 away win.
The loss for the Hawks saw them go five matches without a win as they dropped to 12th, while the win for Dunbar was their first in five matches as they scored their most goals in a match so far this season and moved into 10th.
Inner West will hope to end their winless streak when they travel to face the league-leading Hurstville Zagreb FC in Round 12, while Dunbar will hope to build off their win when they host 5th-placed Granville Rage.
Inner West Hawks FC 1 (Jeremy Siarakas 69’)
Dunbar Rovers FC 3 (Paul Gautier 23’; Dylan-Goran Bozicevic 77’; Jason Trajkovski 90+2’)
11th-placed Gladesville Ryde Magic had a bye in Round 10 but progressed to the next round of the Australia Cup after a 5-0 away win over Western Condors FC, with a goal each to Aaron Nordstrom, Christopher Ganiatsas, Ewan Perrott and Bonmyeong Koo, as well as a Nicholas De Wal own goal.
By Football NSW League Two Men’s Reporter, Dylan Costa
